Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-07-09

ACCORDING 10 MI. Henry george; the
tendency Of whst we csu material pro-
gress is in nowtse 10 improve the condi-
ton CT tae lowest class in the essentials
Of healthy and happy human life. On the
contrary
at IS still! further to depress the con
dItion Of TIE lowest class. The new
forces, e.eyating II their nature though
they be, do not act upon the social fabric
from underneath, as was for ? long time
hoped and believed. but strike it at a
point Intermediate between top ana bot
tom. II Is as though sn immense wedge
were being forced not underneath society
but through society. Those who are
above the point CT separation are ele rated
and those VINO are below are crushed
down.
This is the phenomenon that he
sttemptS 70 explain in his book on
81 progress and Poverty" by the dis
COyery that
"The great cause Of inequality in the
distribution Of wealth is inequality in
the ownership of land llirst edition, p.
POO. The reason why, IN spite OF The
increase q productive power, wages
=
hsre living, IS that, with increase in pro
duCtive power, rent tends 10 even greater
increase, thus producing g constant
tendency TO the forcing down CT wages
Up. 25+J ~
once convinced th2t private property
n land produces sn unequal distribution
of wealth that is curse and q menace TO
modern civilization, the only true remedy
suggests Itself:
"There is but one way TO remove an
evil, and that is to remove its Cause.
Poverty deepeDs as wealth increases, and
wages are forced down while productive
power grows, because land, which is the
source OF gil wealth and the h5ld Of ell
labor, is mCnOpUIlZed. To eXtirp2te pow
eTty, to make wages what Justice de-
mands they should be, the full earnings
Of the ls1OTer, we must therefore, sU5sti-
tu.e for the individual ownership Of land
6 common ownership Nothing else viii
GO to the Cause of the evil, IN nothing
else Is there the slightest nope. This
then is the remedy we must
make land common property %. 2g5J."
Seeing the necessity Of this remedy,
Mr.. George looks forward to the certain
event fits application by force if Geces-
sary:
"By the time the people Of the United
States are sufficiently aroused 10 the in
Justice and disadvantage 10 individual
ownership Of land 80 induce them to at
tempt its NATURALIZATION, they Will be
sufficiently aroused 10 naCiOnalize IL in
much more direct and easy way than by
purchase They Will not trouble them
selves about COmpensatlng the prOprie-
tors Of land. lp. 300.
But Mr.. George does not favor the VIC
lent measure. He proposes ITO accom-
plisl the same thing IN . simpler, easier
and quieteT way than that Of formally
COn1sCstng all the land, and formally
letting II on. TO the highest bidders
Up. @t@l. at IS not necessary to
Contscate land; it is only neceS-
sRry to Confscste rent. q
We already take some rent IL tax
stion. We have only TO make some
changes in our modes of taxation to take
il all" p. 3G4. He would abolish al
taxation save that upon land values" %.
800. "The simple and sovereign remedy
which VIII raise wages, increase the earn
ings of capital, eXtirpate pauperism, abol-
ish poverty, give remunerative employ
meut to whatsoever wishes it, afford free
scope TO human powers, lessen crime, |
purify government and carry civilization |
10 vet nobleT heights, is to appropriate
rent by taxation" Up. 800. Mr.. George
evidently suppOses that revenue equal
20 lthe tOtsl land rent of the country
would constitute g vast fund, for he says
"TLere would be great and increasing
surplus revenue from the taxation oil
land values, for material progress, which
would 20 on with greatly accelerated |
rapidity, would tend constantly TO in
crease the rent. This revenue, arising
from the common property, could be Rp-
piled 10 the common benefit, as were the
revenues Of Sparta. We could
establish public baths, museums, libra
RES, gardens, lecture rooms, music Snd
dancing halls, theaters, universities,
technical schools, shooting galleries, play
grounds, gymnSsiUms. etc. Heat, light
and motive power, rs well as water, |
might be conducted through our streets |
81 public expense, our roads lined with |
Igui. trees, DISCOVERIES and inventors re- |
waT5gG, scientific investigations sup |
ported, Sud in thousand ways the |
public revenues made 10 foster efforts Tor |
the public beCeL. p. 40. The rise OF
wages TIE opening Of opportunities for |
a.l TO make Gn easy and comfortable liy-
4ngI would soon eliminate from society |
the thieves, swindleTs and other classes |
Of criminals who spring from an Unequal |
distribution Ct Ueuth."
Mr.. George is bound to suppose that !
the aggregate amount Of ground rent is 4 |
very large sum, because he has come to |
the conclusion that land a5sorbs, in the |
form of rent, ST the increased production |
Of labor, aided by capital in the way Of |
lao0r-ssying inventions. If ground rent |
produces poverty, by roboing capital and |
la1Or, its cOnhscation would restore |
enough TO labor .aEd capital to remedy |
the evil. What is the actual amount OF |
this item of rent in the United States?
The reader of "PrOgTeSs and Poverty" |
is struck with the fact that the book con-
tains no statements derived from psinE- |
taking inquiries into the statistics Of lanQ |
values and rents. TIE book is eloquent !
and effective, its author evidently an
earnest ana dlsiEtsrested pbilanthropist.
But his theories all relate to numbers Of !
population, rates Of wages, prices OF
food, amounts of rent, and the ratios of
these numbers to one another These
are not priori questions, but matters Of
statistics. There is not only no investi-
CATION OF statistics in progress and Pow
erty,' but there is not even an attempt to
make definite estimates, althOuub